Stress influences brain and psyche via immune system

This newly discovered connection could lead to new treatments for depression

12-Feb-2024 - Chronic stress affects the immune system and the brain. UZH researchers now show that a particular enzyme found in cells of the immune system enters the brain under stress. In mice, it causes them to withdraw and avoid social contact. This newly discovered connection between body and mind in ...

Pregnant women should avoid ultraprocessed, fast foods

Curiously, it’s not the food that the study targets but what touches the food before you eat it

12-Feb-2024 - If you’re pregnant, you may want to think twice before making a hamburger run or reaching for a prepackaged pastry, according to researchpublishedlast month in the journal Environmental International. Oddly enough it’s not the food that the report targets — not the fries, burgers or even the ...

Computer-engineered DNA to study cell identities

“We can follow with our eyes the color in a petri dish when we give a treatment”

12-Feb-2024 - A new computer program allows scientists to design synthetic DNA segments that indicate, in real time, the state of cells. Reported by the Gargiulo lab in “Nature Communications”, it will be used to screen for anti-cancer or viral infections drugs, or to improve gene and cell-based ...

Bruker Acquires Nanophoton Corporation

Nanophoton Strengthens Bruker’s Portfolio of Molecular Microscopy Research Solutions

09-Feb-2024 - Bruker Corporation announced the acquisition of Nanophoton Corporation, a pioneer focused on advanced research Raman microscopy systems. Headquartered in Osaka, Nanophoton offers a broad portfolio of advanced Raman microscopes, serving academic and industrial research customers, primarily in ...

New approach for fast and cost-effective pathogen detection

Palm-sized test system that can simultaneously carry out up to thirty-two analyses of one sample

09-Feb-2024 - The ability to detect diseases at an early stage or even predict their onset would be of tremendous benefit to doctors and patients alike. A research team led by Dr. Larysa Baraban at the at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) develops intelligent, miniaturized biosensor devices and ...

Michael Kleinemeier Chairman of the Merck Supervisory Board until the 2024 AGM

09-Feb-2024 - Merck announced that the Supervisory Board has elected Michael Kleinemeier (66) as its Chair. Among other roles, Kleinemeier was a member of the Executive Board of SAP SE, Walldorf, as Head of SAP Digital Business Services from 2015 to 2020. He has been a member of the Merck Supervisory Board ...

Inexpensive, carbon-neutral biofuels are finally possible

In addition to better lignin utilization the innovative biomass pretreatment technology also proposes to produce renewable chemicals

09-Feb-2024 - When it comes to making fuel from plants, the first step has always been the hardest — breaking down the plant matter. A new study finds that introducing a simple, renewable chemical to the pretreatment step can finally make next-generation biofuel production both cost-effective and carbon ...

Large pharma organizations to invest nearly 7% of revenue on building connected, cutting-edge lab environments by 2025

Next-gen lab environments are now critical for innovative therapies, reduced time to market, and improved approval rates, but most are still at pilot phase

08-Feb-2024 - Pharmaceutical organizations are rethinking their approach to the setup and operations of their labs, with a focus on accelerating digitalization, leveraging AI, improving processes, and building the right skills and culture for a lab transformation. The need to accelerate cycle times is driving ...

Making Ends Meet: Researchers Find That a Protein Superglue is Crucial for DNA Damage Repair

New Understanding for Cancer Treatments

08-Feb-2024 - Our DNA undergoes constant damage and repair. The most severe damage happens when the DNA breaks into two pieces, known as a double-strand DNA break. It creates two loose DNA ends that, if left unfixed, can lead to cell death. Researchers from the Biotechnology Center (BIOTEC) of the Dresden ...

Lighting up Alzheimer’s-related proteins to allow for earlier disease detection

08-Feb-2024 - Many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, are difficult to diagnose before symptoms begin to appear. However, disease-related biomarkers such as aggregated proteins called amyloids could provide important insight much earlier, if they can be readily detected. ...